A transmitter on All Saints church in the Norfolk village of Salhouse connects local homes and businesses.
Photograph: Courtesy of WiSpire

They are cherished landmarks of the English countryside: church spires soaring heavenwards. Often visible for miles around, and many dating from medieval times, they now have a new purpose – to facilitate virtual communication in the internet age.

Following an agreement between the Church of England and the government, churches in internet black spots are set to boost broadband, mobile and wifi connectivity for local communities.

Under the deal, rural churches will incorporate wireless transmitters in spires and towers, plus aerials, satellite dishes and fibre cables. The arrangement will help people living and working in up to a million properties that cannot access fast broadband – many in small communities where there are few amenities apart from a nearby church. There are more than 10,000 rural Anglican churches in England.

The agreement could also help churches that are struggling with heavy maintenance and repair costs. Income may be generated from deals with telecom providers, with “the potential for other mutually beneficial terms, to be agreed, such as sharing the cost of maintaining a church tower or spire on which equipment may be mounted,” the accord says.

The former prime minister, David Cameron, pledged more than two years ago that all UK homes and businesses would have access to fast broadband by 2020. “Access to the internet shouldn’t be a luxury, it should be a right – absolutely fundamental to life in 21st century Britain,” he said.

Announcing the deal with the church, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said improved digital connectivity would give rural communities better access to online public services, improved social interaction with family and friends, and better access to skills and training that could boost employment prospects. Local businesses could extend their reach and be more competitive, it said.

“Churches are central features and valued assets for local communities up and down the country,” said secretary of state Matt Hancock.

“This agreement with the Church of England will mean that even a 15th century building can help make Britain fit for the future, improving people’s lives by boosting connectivity in some of our hardest-to-reach areas.”

Churches in eastern England have already reached local deals to host equipment. The grade II* listed Church of St Cyriac and St Julitta in Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire, established in the early 13th century, provides internet connection for its local community. A transmitter on All Saints church in the Norfolk village of Salhouse connects local homes and businesses.

Graham James, the bishop of Norfolk, said: “Our parish churches are a truly national network, and to use them creatively to create new forms of connectivity enhances their value for the communities.,” Stephen Cottrell, the bishop of Chelmsford, said rural churches had always served as a hub for communities. “Encouraging churches to improve connectivity will help tackle two of the biggest issues rural areas face – isolation and sustainability.”

Churches will be encouraged to follow guidance from the church and Historic England, the body that looks after historic sites, on installing equipment to ensure it does not detract from architectural or historic significance. Antennae should be “sited as unobtrusively as possible”, the guidance says. It notes that 60% of medieval churches are home to bats, which are protected. “The telecoms company, at its expense, should work with the Bat Conservation Trust to undertake a survey, if necessary, to ascertain the relevance and importance of your church tower to bats,” says the guidance.

The wellbeing of nesting swifts should also be considered, along with established trees, it says. “Laying of cables should be handled sensitively taking care to avoid damage to root systems.”